


No Valiance In the Vallis

by Chef_Rowl, ivarara



Series: Maxis [20]
Category: Warframe
Genre: also this is a back-and-forth with a friend!!, not really really gorey but she is hurt and that's focused on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2020-05-12 17:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19233781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chef_Rowl/pseuds/Chef_Rowl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivarara/pseuds/ivarara
Summary: Max has a bad time. Fortunately, she can rely on friends to get her out. Right?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> yeah!! this is just a coop thing. my bro is writing the next part, i'll write a response, etc etc etc

The Vallis was a cold, vast, ruthless place. Everyone in the System knew that. If you set foot in the Vallis, prepared or not, you felt cold. **  
**

This cold was different.

Max had never felt this kind of cold. The kind of cold that sank into her bones, bypassing any armor she had. The cold that felt like it would be inescapable even if she were able to find help or shelter. Her bones felt like they were singing, vibrating as her body was robbed completely of any warmth.

What had she learned about these kinds of situations? _Curl up_ , her mind demanded. _Conserve heat_. Feebly, she amassed all the strength that was rapidly trickling out of her to draw her arms and legs in to her core. _Apply pressure,_ Dodge’s voice scolded. _Staunch the bleeding before it gets out of hand. Don’t try to dig the round out. Wait until you can get help to do that._

Would she even get help in time? She was alone. Ivara and Trouvaille had gotten separated when the bullets started flying through the air. She was so focused on following the faint kubrodon prints in the fresh snow that she hadn’t noticed that her cohorts had separated, instead trusting that they would follow closely, as always. Only...they weren’t.

And then it happened.

A cheap shot, she guessed. A cheap, lucky shot from some half-witted crewman that had pierced right next to the armor on her chest. Rather than being deflected or even just dampened, it slipped right by any defenses she had. She doubted it had been intended to be that accurate..

Help, she reminded herself; she should be trying to find help instead of thinking about what had gone wrong.

She didn’t know where Ivara and Trouvaille were. Close by? Far away? Injured? Safe? The possibilities cycled through her head. Focus, she snapped at herself. With a trembling hand, whether from adrenaline or cold or fear, she reached for the comm piece in her numb ear.

 _“Zus here….what’s….-ong….Ma-...”_ the transmission was choppy. Of course it was, she berated herself, they’re probably four or five planets away from here.

An inhale that rattled in her throat. “‘m down,” she managed to croak out. Even if Zus and the Hounds were closer, they probably wouldn’t have been able to hear her voice.

 _“Hello? Max?”_ Zus probed.

“Zus,” she muttered out, fearfully.

_“There’s no….maybe it wa-....accidental.”_

No! Her mind yelled. This isn’t an accident! Before any strength could be summoned to try again, the line went silent with a click, signaling that it had been cut. Figures, she thought, he’ll probably wait to see if I call back to show it was an emergency. Even if she did, the reception would probably be just as poor, just as much of a futile effort.

Who else was there? Kally? She racked her mind to remember. Kally had mentioned doing something on Sedna. She was too far away. Tinleah? Tinny might be an option. She couldn’t remember if Tinny had mentioned anything on her agenda for the day the last time they’d met. She flicked a finger to the comm again, calling in to Tinny.

 _“What’s up, Max?”_ Tinny’s calm voice rang through clearly, much better than Zus’ garbled messages. _“You need anything?”_

Was everything okay? What a question to ask. Nothing was okay. She had to convey that to Tinny.

“Tin,” she coughed. 

_“Hey, you sound rough. What’s wrong?”_ Worry crept into her tone.

“Tin,” she tried again. “In the Vallis. Hurt.”

 _“You’re down?”_ Tinleah’s voice was instantly saturated with fear and concern. _“Where are you? Where’s Ivara? Where’s Zus?”_

“Not here,” Max mumbled, her head starting to get fuzzy.

 _“Listen to me,”_ Tinny’s voice was serious. _“Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep. I’m over Venus right now. I’ll be there soon. Do not fall asleep. Are you near any landmarks?”_ Even as she spoke, Max could hear Tinleah causing a racket, wherever she was.

“Harindi,” she gasped. “Cave.”

 _“The caves by the Harindi Crater? Good. That’s good. That’s great. I’ll be there as soon as I can, okay?”_ She grunted, as if lifting something heavy. _“Hang in there a little longer.”_

Max nodded, then spoke when she remembered that Tinny couldn’t see her affirmation. “‘kay.”

 _“You’re not going down that easily. I’ll be there real soon. Stay safe.”_ Click.

Alone again. She wished Tinny had kept the line open. Why would she, though? Max could barely speak as is. 

So she waited, trying to keep her mind running as she grew colder. She desperately wished she wasn’t alone. She desperately wished she was able to crawl somewhere else, to where she could warm up. She wanted Trou with her, to bury her fingers in his raggedy, spattered fur. She wanted Ivara, who would no doubt make sure she stayed safe and conscious until help arrived, all the while fretting like mad.

Instead, she was devastatingly alone.

 **Figures** , a dark voice surfaced from the back of her mind **. Everyone knows a Tenno is worthless without a Warframe. You’re no different.**

No, she was capable of doing things on her own. Ivara wasn’t just a tool to be used for her to succeed because she was too feeble on her own.

**Nobody is here. Zus isn’t coming to save you. Dodge isn’t going to roar up and patch you back into good health while scolding you worriedly.**

That’s not because they don’t care, she tells herself. It’s because they can’t get here. They don’t know. It’s not their fault.

**They ignored your call for help.**

They blew off an empty call is what they did. It had happened countless times: Max would wrestle with Trou or run around being rowdy and, one way or another, the comm would activate. Why listen in if there was no need? Besides, Tinny was coming. Tinny would help.

**You’re expecting too much. Tinleah won’t get here in time. You’ll bleed out or freeze to death, if the locals or wildlife don’t find you first.**

Tinny was rushing. Tinny wouldn’t screw around if she knew a friend was in danger. Max trusted her abilities. She tried to not let the thoughts nag at her.

But what if it was too late? What if she didn’t see anyone ever again? No Trouvaille with his expressive, floppy ears and wagging tail. No Ivara, offering hugs and shoulder bumps or whatever she needed when she was having a bad day. No Zus, scolding her for being reckless but taking obvious pride in her capabilities and performances. No Dodge, or Buffy, or the other Hounds to banter back-and-forth with and function alongside. No Tinny or Kally, no more time spent just wandering around the Plains while fishing or chatting and just enjoying the company.

She knew she shouldn’t make herself tear up and cry out here. The tears would freeze to her face and only make the situation worse. What would Dodge say? You’ll get dehydrated, or something like that. But if she didn’t have much time left, what was the point?

So she cried. Not ugly sobbing, nothing dramatic. In fact, it was near-silent. She curled in on herself even more as the tears made chilly trails down the side of her face.

**It’s what you’ve always deserved.**

The thought hits her like a punch. She physically flinched.

**You didn’t fit in anyways.**

She didn’t have the energy to counter the nagging voice anymore.

Footsteps crunching through the snow a fair distance away. It couldn’t be Tinny quite yet; it was too soon for her to have shown up already. Terra Crewmen? A kubrodon? Either option wouldn’t hold back. Holding her breath, she tried to stiffen her limbs to prevent the shivering and trembling in order to look long gone, to hopefully appear uninteresting to whoever was approaching.

The footsteps neared, coming from behind. Despite her best efforts, she quaked. What next? Would the Crewmen finish her? Take her back for some sort of twisted agenda, like with the sentients? Would the kubrodon care if she was already gone?

Closer and closer, until they stopped. No shots rang out. No rough hands grabbed at her. No feral teeth snapped and snarled.

Just a gentle hand on her shoulder, carefully patting and nudging her limp form to rouse her. So, they didn’t mean harm. Yet, something said. Before she could do anything else, a plaintive whine sounded.

She knew that whine. A sadder, desperate version of a certain kubrow’s please-pay-attention-to-me whine. Relief flooded through her. More tears fell, but not from sorrow or fear.

Ivara’s head poked over Max’s shoulder, peering at her face. Though faceless, it was easy to tell she was desperately concerned. Seeing Max’s open eyes, she quickly rounded her to look at her face to face. Almost reflexively, Ivara ruffled a hand through Max’s disorderly hair. Something she did when she was relieved; something that she did at the end of a rough mission or when they were apart for whatever reason. Immediately, she began thoroughly checking Max over, rubbing the Operator’s frigid fingers furiously in her palms to warm them up.

Trouvaille didn’t hold back either. He kept whining, stepping over her legs to nudge her face with a wet nose. Max recoiled at the cold, and Ivara quickly but gently pushed his head back. He took it in stride, instead sitting and plunking himself down so his back was to Max’s belly and the top portions of her legs. He radiated heat-- he always did, for whatever reason. For better or worse: when they were stationed somewhere chilly, like on the Plains at night, it was a great feeling to have his bulk nearby. In the cramped barracks, it was a different story. But here, it felt like a divine gift.

Ivara cocked her head to the side when she noticed the wound on her shoulder. She didn’t probe at it, thankfully, but she fretted nonetheless.

Max summoned up as much breath as she could. “Tinny’s comin’.”

Ivara nodded. Trou’s ears perked at the name, familiar with the Tenno Max spent her free time with. Meanwhile, Ivara set to work keeping Max warm and staunching the still-threatening puncture.

Sure, she had company now, but even so she still probably didn’t have all that long. They weren’t prepared for this. Little bumps and scratches, sure. Not a full-out wound. The best they could do was cover it until Tilly arrived.

Ivara kept one palm over the injury, applying pressure to slow the bleeding even though Max winced in pain as her Warframe did. Ivara’s other palm soothingly rubbed her back as she sat next to her operator. She carefully, extremely gently, positioned Max so her head was in her lap. Trouvaille adjusted and laid on the opposite side of the shot, providing a solid line of warmth that seeped through the layers of clothing and armor.

She felt safer now. She felt herself nodding off. Her eyes kept narrowing and drooping, until she let them shut completely.

Ivara would wake her if she needed, surely.


	2. To the Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tinleah receives a distress call from Maxis and races to her rescue

Another bloody sabotage mission on another bloody cruiser.

Alad V’s sudden reappearance and his new Amalgam program had injected new life and activity into the Corpus, especially into Nef Anyo’s faction. That pompous fool’s fleets above his holdings on Venus’ surface buzzed with redoubled activity ever since his main rival under the Board had returned with terrifying new weapons.

And so Tinleah was here again, destroying yet another cruiser from the inside out by charging into the reactor room and wrecking it. Without the main reactor, the ship wouldn’t be able to maintain orbit, and would crash into Venus’ surface within a day. Ideally, just outside the Vallis so that Solaris U had the opportunity to strip it for weapons and materials.

There had been such a recent influx of these missions it was becoming almost boring to Tinleah. Almost. She never quite got tired of tearing through enemy forces, reducing them to shreds of meat and scrap. Today was no different. A trail of slaughtered crewmen and proxies marked the path she had taken to the reactor room. Routine as ever.

However, just as she was plugging a fuel cell into a coolant intake, her comm pinged. Max’s frequency. She smiled from inside her frame, Pulsar--her first choice for ruining the day of any Corpus ship. She answered her friend’s call as she dashed to the console and initiated the reactor meltdown.

“What’s up, Max? You need anything?”

There was a pause. Maybe nothing, but Max’s accidental calls usually went to the Hounds. Tinleah felt her heart sink even as Pulsar’s fingers raced over the terminal.

“Tin.” Max’s faint, weak voice was punctuated by a ragged cough.

“Hey, you sound rough,” Tinleah said dumbly, her worry robbing her of wit. “What’s wrong?”

“Tin, in the Vallis. Hurt.”

“You’re down?” Tinleah heard the fear she felt spill into her voice. Her mind and heart started racing, but she stubbornly bit back the impulse to panic. “Where are you? Where’s Ivara? Zus?”

“Not here.”

“Listen to me, whatever you do, don’t fall asleep. I’m over Venus right now, I’ll be there soon. Do  _ not  _ fall asleep. Are you near any landmarks?” She was almost shouting as Corpus reinforcements poured into the reactor room, attempting to halt the meltdown. Two huge Eximus crewmen slowly advanced, laying down covering fire with their Supra rifles as MOAs rushed in by the dozen. Easy pickings for Pulsar, but Tinleah’s focus was elsewhere. With one last mental command, she broke contact with the Mag Prime, trusting it to finish the job and reach extraction alone.

“Harindi. Cave.” Max sounded desperately weak; Tinleah leapt out of her Transferrence chair and raced to the belly of her Orbiter where a backup landing craft sat in storage. She grabbed medical supplies as she went, and summoned Datura with a thought. They met at the Liset where the Warframe helped her load and secure the armful of stuff she had gathered.

She continued talking to her friend even as she mounted the rescue. “The caves by the Harindi Crater? Good. That’s good. That’s great. I’ll be there as soon as I can, okay? Hang in there a little longer.”

There was a short pause, then a quiet “‘kay.”

“You’re not going down that easily. I’ll be there real soon. Stay safe,” she tried to reassure her friend, then regretfully ended the call.

“Solise! Get a lock on her!”

“Of course,” Solise replied; even her usually level tones were shot through with worry. “I’ve marked it on your map.”

Tinleah closed her eyes and with a sharp intake of breath, forced her physical form to dematerialize and merge with Datura. When she “opened” her eyes, she saw everything in the slightly-warped ways that Warframes do. A map of the Vallis hovered in the corner of her vision, with a yellow marker pulsing on it. “Good, get this thing going. She sounded bad.”

The old Liset roared to life even as Datura was locking into the Warframe pod in its belly. It screamed out of the orbiter and down into Venus’ atmosphere. The nose began to turn orange as the friction heated up the craft. It punched rings through the clouds as it descended faster than the speed of sound. She silently prayed to whoever was listening as she fell from the sky.  _ Please, please let her be okay. _

The white floor of the Orb Vallis rushed up to meet her. It was the middle of the Cold rotation, and a blizzard raged across the valley. She swept her eyes over the landscape then angled her approach towards Harindi, barely distinguishable through the snowstorm. Datura didn’t even wait for the landing craft to slow down; she leapt from the compartment and slammed into the ground like a meteor. Her head whipped around, desperately looking for a cave nearby.  _ Dammit why am I not more familiar with the Vallis by now? _

_ There! _ She sprinted fiercely to a break in the stone walls around the crater, leaping and bounding over the slippery ground.

A dreadful sight greeted her.

Maxis was lying on the ground, the shoulder of her suit soaked through with blood. Her eyes were closed. Her Ivara was slumped over, kneeling, unresponsive. Trou was shivering next to them, pressed up against Max’s body. He gingerly lifted his head as Datura drew near and gave a mournful “woof.”

Tinleah stepped down out of Datura, who shivered as her operator suddenly separated. “Get the Liset down here! We need to get her outta here!” she barked. Datura nodded once then spun on her heel and ran back out into the blizzard.

“Max... Max!” Tinleah called out as she tried to properly assess the damage.

Max was still breathing, but barely. Her lips, cheeks, fingers, everything was cold as ice. The blood that had been gushing from a bullet wound had frozen, ironically plugging the hole even as the cold robbed her of life. She didn’t so much as twitch as Tinleah fussed over her, desperate to save her friend. The standard issue health kits she churned out of her foundry back on the orbiter helped, but not much.

The rumbling of a landing craft returned less than a minute after Datura left, but it felt like hours to Tinleah. She gingerly lifted Max in her arms, marvelling that a young woman who was so physically active could feel so light. Trou protested weakly as she carried Max’s limp body to the Liset hovering a foot above the ground. “C’mon boy, you don’t look so good either.”

Girl and dog clambered aboard the cramped quarters of the Liset while Datura remained in the compartment in the belly of the ship. Trou whined as the door slid shut and the engines rumbled to life.

“Sorry boy, we’ll have to go back for Ivara later.” That seemed to satisfy the hound, and he instead focused on nuzzling Max’s hand dangling off the gurney that Tinleah laid her on.

She continued fussing over her, but now had the supplies to actually do some good. She cut the suit off of Max’s torso and cleaned the wound properly before sealing it. The heat from the engines brought some color back to her fingertips and nose, but she was still pale as death. “Solise, what do I do!”

“You’ve done all you can,” came the motherly reply. “Get her back to the orbiter and i’ll take over.”

And so Tinleah did just that. It took only a few minutes to return and dock, but Tinleah paced impatiently the entire time, feeling the seconds tick away. She gingerly princess-carried her comatose friend into the orbiter and towards what passed for a medbay in the cramped vessel, Trou following at her heels. Tinleah’s Trinity Prime was waiting for them, the pale orange swirls in her helmet matching the color of Solise’s cube. The cephalon’s voice emanated from the healing frame. “Lay her there, gently.”

“As if I was going to lay her there roughly,” Tinleah bit back, following instructions. Her hand cradled Max’s head as she laid her friend down onto the bed in the center of the little room. Trouville approached and whined, trying to nuzzle at Max until the Trinity gently nudged him back. He sat dutifully nearby, staring mournfully--if a kubrow _can_ stare mournfully--at his master's face.  


An unnerving roaring filled Tinleah's ears as she paced back and forth next to the bed. It was Helminth, its roars taking form as words in her mind.  _ The life fades from this one. Embrace our gift. Live eternal. _

“Not gonna happen,” Tinleah answered. “Solise?”

The Trinity was fussing over Max, under Solise’s control. Her hands and highlights glowed as Orokin magic flowed out of the frame and into Max’s pale body. She didn’t look up as she responded. “It’s not completely wrong...”

“ _ What!?  _ What is that supposed to mean?”

“A localized insertion of infested tissue would be able to heal her, bring her back from the blood loss and frostbite. That could-”

“Frostbite?”

“Her toes and fingers might not survive, even with Trinity’s power.”

Tinleah slammed a fist into the nearest solid surface. “Damnit, you can’t be serious!”

“I’m always serious.” Though it seemed like a joke, Solise’s voice was grim.

Tinleah paused for a moment to calm herself and think, as her training in the Naramon school had drilled into her. She lifted her head when an idea occurred to her. “I’ll be right back.”

Only a few dozen seconds had passed after she bolted from the room when Tinleah’s Nyx strutted into the medbay. She leaned in over Max’s head and gingerly placed a finger on each temple. “Max, can you hear me in there? We have a plan to save you, but you might not like it...”  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woof this is looking rough...
> 
> ivarara is on deck for the next chapter. I figured it would only be fair to pass the torch like this since Max is her character but i mean holy heck >~>


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max comes to.

When she comes to, she does so incredibly slowly. Consciousness carefully creeps back to her. She aches, horribly, all over. She is warm, comfortable. She feels safe.  **  
**

The drifting, weightlessness of waking up from a deep rest was familiar to her. The heaviness in her limbs and grogginess of her mind, she knew.

The speaking was new, though.

_“Max, can you hear me in there?”_

Were her eyes open, she would have squinted in confusion. Who was that? It sounded almost familiar, but warped enough that it wasn’t. 

_“We have a plan to save you, but you might not like it…”_

Immediately, a suffocating wave of anxiety washes over her. Who was speaking? Where was she? Why did she need saving? What happened? Where were Ivara and Trouvaille? Before she could try to do anything, like sit up or at least open her eyes, she felt another wash of drowsiness hit her.

She drifts off again.

+++ oo

This time, she wakes up panicked. No gradual return to awareness; no warmth swabbing her achy and tired body. 

This time, it is a jolt of fear that wakes her. The same jolt of fear she felt when something went horribly wrong. She could remember that. 

But… she didn’t remember feeling so. _..lonely._ So _helpless._

Her eyes finally snap open. Bleary green irises scan the room around her, meticulously taking in the details, though slightly blurry.

Warm. The air circulated, not enough for it to be an off-base area, but more like the inside of a building. It is darker than outside. There are a few lights scattered here and there. Eerily familiar, yet foreign all the same. Too well-kept and spacey to be the barracks. A med bay? Where? The urge to sit up and move itches at her mind. She feels _confined._

She tries to wrack her brain to remember anything that had happened. She knew she was in the Vallis with Ivara and Trouvaille. They were innocently wandering around, avoiding any conflict. Something happened. They were separated. She was hurt. She remembers laying in the thick snow, life trickling out of her. She remembers giving up. Accepting her fate. Calling for help, but as far as she knew, help had been too late.

Her mind jumps to the worst possible conclusion. _Someone found me. Some dim-witted Terra crewman found me, helpless and unaware, and brought me to one of their labs. I’m completely alone. I don’t know where I am. Have they done anything yet? If not, what’ll they do?_ Her breathing quickens, panic setting in, something she had trained herself to stave off in more important moments. _Get out._

Desperately, in a frenzy, she tried jack-knifing up on whatever surface she lay on. She’s immediately reminded that no, her body doesn’t agree with her brain. All she can muster is a rough twitch. Though, nothing seems to be actually pinning her down, which she’d expect if she were being held in a facility. Maybe she actually hadn’t been caught?

“Easy, Maxis,” a soothing voice spoke, seeming to come from all around her. It reminded her of the way Ordis had sounded when she still inhabited her Orbiter. “You are still in poor shape. Sudden movement may aggravate any wounds that have started to heal, after all our work. One moment, I will be with you.”

Quickly, a Trinity Prime entered the room she was in. The helm glowed a comforting, soft orange. She knew that color.

“Solise?” She tried to inquire, but it came out as a rough rasp, barely audible. Something next to her stirred at the noise.

“Yes,” the cephalon hummed through the warframe. “You were in an incredibly harsh state when Tinleah and Datura finally found you. She will be pleased to see you’re finally awake.”

_‘Finally awake?’ How long had she been here? It’d only been a short while, right?_

Solise read the confusion on her pain-wracked face. “Unfortunately, you have, in fact, been out for a relatively long time.” When Max stared at her, waiting for a continuation, she carefully continued. “It has been…” She seems hesitant to be precise. “A while. It’s been a while.” The familiar feeling of anxiety sets in, plain as day. Solise tried to steer away from the topic. “I can alert Tinleah that you’re conscious, if you would like. As I had mentioned, she will be overly pleased to know you’re doing slightly better, at least.” Before Max could attempt to respond, the frame briskly turns and strides out.

The noise next to her sounds again, now that she’s alone. She’s obviously in a safe area, so it can’t be all that dangerous. Something nudges her hand, jarring it from where it had been loosely draped over the side of whatever she was laying on. The motion hurt, felt like fire was spreading up her arm and into her torso. 

The being responsible for causing it, however, made it forgivable, as excruciating as it was.

An all-too-familiar wet nose and muzzle smushed itself into her limp fingers, as carefully as a kubrow can be delicate. First, two furry ears perk up over the side of the bed, then Trouvaille’s black-spattered-brown head pokes up into view. The sight brings some semblance of comfort to her panicked mind, realizing that she has some familiarity that’s still here. As much as she could, she ruffled her fingers through the now-filthy fur of his head. But...

Where was Ivara? _Where was her Warframe?_

As much as she can, she looks around again. No Ivara. Trou notices her frantic searching, and becomes more persistent in grabbing her attention again. He whines plaintively. 

“Trouvaille?” Someone else’s voice. Not Solise. “You okay, bud?” Footsteps pattered closer.

_Calm yourself,_ she scolded her mind. Ivara wasn’t here, but she was probably still fine, wherever she was. She was resourceful and smart.

The person that had spoken entered the room. Max eyes them warily before her brain catches up. _Tinny. That’s right, I called for Tinny. She found us._

“Max?” Tinleah’s eyes brightened at seeing her friend somewhat aware of her surroundings. 

Max knew she must look awful. Judging by how she felt and what Solise had said, she probably looked like a royal wreck. Dodge would scold her, probably. She felt self-conscious at her friend having to see her this way, beat-up and ruffled and worn out.

She’s obviously seen you in worse conditions, something hissed in her mind. After all, she found you essentially dead, if you don’t recall. Oh, wait--you don’t.

Maxis wanted to do what she normally would: smirk or grin or wink or throw a mock-salute to her friend to acknowledge her. The complete lack of energy to move told her otherwise. 

Fortunately, Tinleah seemed to understand the war going on between her mind and body. “You feel better or at leas, better than you were. Obviously you are since you’re awake and aware,” she rambled. She was nervous, Max could tell. “Um anyways, you probably don’t really recall what happened, do you?”

Feebly, Max slightly shook her head. Aside from the few snippets she caught earlier, she didn’t remember much.

“Okay then. Um, you and Ivara and Trou were in the Vallis; I don’t know what exactly you were doing. You guys got separated somehow. Then you, uh,” she struggled with saying it out loud, her face twisted in discomfort. “You were...shot. Likely by a sniper crewman. It was pretty bad. It missed your armor, and nearly went straight through your shoulder. You called for me and sounded like you were really on your way out.” Tinny’s eyes didn’t meet hers. “I was almost certain I wouldn’t get there in time. When Datura and I arrived, Ivara and Trouvaille had found you, at least. We got you to the orbiter and Solise started patching you up.” She was being uncharacteristically blunt with her sentences. She was trying to avoid something.

Max blinks owlishly at her. Her eyes darted from Trouvaille, who had taken to propping his head up on the side of the bed for her to reach easier, back to Tinleah, questioningly. 

Tinny sighs defeatedly. “You noticed, then.” Not a question; a statement.

Her gut plummets. Gone. Ivara’s gone. Ivara, who could read her like an open book and keep her calm and safe no matter what. Ivara, who had been with her since her earliest days of being out of cryosleep. Ivara, who had been there with her through everything--Hunhow and the Lotus and the whole Origin System and the transferring of sides to the Grineer, and... Eyes widening, her fist clenches in Trouvaille’s fur reflexively. Despite her best efforts, she knew her eyes were welling up.

Tinleah notices. “No, no! She’s not...gone for good,” she tries to reassure. “We just don’t know where she is right now. She may have been found by the Corpus and taken to a facility.” A pause as she looks at Max’s still-panicked face. “I know that isn’t entirely reassuring, but there’s still a probability that we can get her back, once you’re back in shape.” She halts again. “But we can’t do that until you’re well again. I’m sure she’ll be okay for a short period while you heal. Once you are, we’ll go for her.


	4. An Unorthodox Treatment... At Least it Worked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxis survived, thanks in great part to Solise... and also someone else. But now what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, apologies if you've been waiting for this one. It's been a while...  
> So long a while, there've been a couple retcons. Maxis' Ivara is now named Hush. And I went back a little bit and reinterpreted the last several paragraphs of ivarara's chapter for the opening of mine here. I'm sure there're others, we've been writing and bouncing ideas off each other almost constantly in the meantime.

Tinleah had barely slept since she brought Maxis aboard. There wasn’t anything she could really do, as Solise was taking wonderful care of Max by herself; but if anything that made Tinleah’s anxiousness worse.

Finally, what felt like days later, Solise informed her that Max was conscious. Tinleah practically sprinted to the medbay to see her friend. She was still lying on the medbay gurney, but her eyes were finally open. “Max?”

She turned her head slowly towards her, and a wave of relief washed over Tinleah. She approached her friend and gently took her hand in her own. Though Maxis still looked wrecked, she managed a small lopsided smile. Tin could tell the gears in her head were turning, but that she still couldn’t really talk.

“You’re feeling better, or at least better than you were? Well, I guess, obviously since you’re awake and... um, anyways, you probably don’t remember what exactly happened, do you?”

Max shook her head ever so slightly, wincing with the effort.

“Okay then, um... You and Hush and Trou were in the Vallis, though I don’t really know what you were doing down there. You got separated, somehow, then you, uh. You were... shot. Through the shoulder, probably by a Sniper Crewman. You called me and it sounded like you were on your way out.” Tin avoided meeting Max’s gaze as she tried to keep her voice steady. “I didn’t think I’d make it... When Datura and I found you, Hush and Trou were with you, at least. But it was bad. I got you up to my orbiter and Solise patched you up.”

Max blinked slowly at her. She looked to Trouvaille, who was resting his chin on the edge of her bed. Then she began frantically scanning the room, before looking back to Tinleah with panic in her eyes.

She sighed. “Guess you finally noticed, eh?”

Hush was nowhere to be seen. Tin watched Max’s face twist with pain and fear and anger as her eyes welled up with heavy tears. That Ivara was everything to Maxis; friend, protector, constant companion through everything, even moreso than Trou who even now was trying to comfort her.

“I’m so, so, so sorry. I went back for her as soon as I got you stabilized, but she was gone. I found Coildrive tracks and plenty of bootprints, but I lost the trail. She’s probably in a Corpus lab down there right now.”

Max tried to sit up, but barely managed to lift her head off the pillow before the pain forced her to abandon the effort.

“Easy... Solise is tracking her down as we speak. Regardless, you’re in no condition to fight. Your body is still healing and... adjusting. When we know where Hush is, I’ll get her back. That’s a promise,” Tin declared, squeezing Max’s hand gently. 

The next dozen hours felt like an eternity to Max, stuck in the medbay as she was. Tin stayed with her the entire time, only leaving for a few minutes at a time to get food. 

It took her a good four hours to even manage a weak word of thanks. Another two to whisper a full sentence. Five more before she finally managed to sit up with Tin’s help. She blushed when she felt the cold air of the orbiter flow over her skin through the open back of her patient gown. Except for one spot at the base of her neck... She reached up to touch it, then recoiled when her fingertips met something other than skin. “What the...?”

Tinleah took both her hands and held them in her lap. “Do you remember hearing my voice while you were under? We talked, kind of.”

“Uh... I think so.” Max’s raspy voice was shot through with worry.

“I guess you don’t remember everything, then. I’ll be blunt: we put a bit of Helminth in you, at the base of your skull near your brain stem.”

“ _ You what? _ ”

“Our bodies can resist the spread of Infestation, and the conversion into Warframes that Helminth causes, but—”

“You  _ infested me? _ ”

“We... Yes, kind of. Not really. But yes.”

They sat in silence for a while. Tin released Max’s hands so she could feel at the spot where Helminth had pierced her skin and implanted Infestation inside her body. A thumb-sized cyst grew over the injection point, and Max winced when she poked at it.

“What did you mean ‘yes but not really’?” Max asked, still feeling the back of her neck.

“Listen, when I brought you aboard, you were a Tenno-shaped popsicle. Solise barely managed to thaw you out safely and save your extremities. But we were still looking at serious brain damage. And I mean  _ serious _ .”

Max stopped fussing.

“Helminth piped up like the cheeky bastard he is, and offered a solution. That’s when I spoke with you through Nyx’s telepathy, remember? You said ‘okay,’ and we let Helminth do his thing. You have a small cyst still worming its way into your spinal column; we think it’ll take another day or so before it settles down. Infested tendrils are running all over your body, tangled in with your muscles and nervous system.”

“I’m a very nervous system right now,” Max said with a forced laugh.

“Shut up, I’m trying to be serious. You’re part Helminth, now. I’m not sure what all side effects you’ll have to deal with. But, on the upside, your nervous system is practically bullet-proof, your basic healing factor has improved massively... You’re much stronger and much harder to kill than before. As if you needed the extra help,” Tin said with a wry grin. “You’re one tough son of a kubrodon, babe.”

“What about the Hounds?”

Tin froze. She hadn’t even thought about Max returning to her Grineer comrades, bearing the Infestation. Best case scenario, they chase her out of the only real home she’s ever had. “I don’t know...”

They sat in silence, both trying to get a grip on the hurricane of emotions tearing through them: Tin with guilt and fear, Max with anger and desperation.

“Oh, duh,” Tin broke the silence after a few minutes. “Be right back.”

She ran out of the medbay before Max could say anything, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

_ Now you really are the monster you always thought you were. _

_ Shut up. _

_ You can’t ignore me anymore. You are a freak now, as if you weren’t before. _

_ Shut up shut up shutupshutup! _

_ Yesssss, be silent. _

Max jumped when a third voice rumbled inside her head.  _ Uh... hello? _

No answer. But whoever or  _ whatever _ it was apparently had managed to silence her inner demon; for now, at least.

_ Helminth? Was that you? _

Her demons remained silent.

Tin returned, with someone Max had never seen before close behind. “Maxis, meet Grak’kur, also known as Gray.”

“Howdy, call me Max.” Her characteristic cheerful introduction was robbed of its usual flamboyance, but she managed to feebly crack a smile and hold out a hand to shake his.

When he drew close, she saw in his eyes that he was Grineer, but she didn’t recognize his strain. He was as tall as a Bombard, but not nearly as thickset. Clad in a jumpsuit, he was nearly as slender as the Tenno. His skin was smooth, consistent, moderately attractive even by Orokin standards. He forced a shy smile and took her hand in his own. It was strong as sword steel, but warm and gentle. 

“Hello, Max. You may call me what you wish,” he returned her greeting. His calm voice immediately eased any nervousness Max had at meeting someone new while dressed in just a hospital gown.

“Gray’s been my... passenger for about a week. I honestly keep forgetting he’s aboard. He’s seen my underwear more than you have,” Tin said with a playful smirk. The other two blushed and looked away. “Anyway, I brought him in here to test that Infestation.”

“What infestation?” Gray asked, suddenly horrified.

“The one inside the girl you just met,” Tin replied. Her face was somewhere between sarcastic teasing and seriously cruel. Max didn’t much like that expression on her. “You’re gonna spend some time together. A few days, maybe more. We’ll see if Grineer can catch the lurgy from you. If not, great, I’ll take you back to the Hounds as soon as you’re back on your own two feet.”

“And what if...”

Tin shrugged. “Cross that bridge when we get there.”

“This doesn’t seem fair,” Max muttered.

“Listen, Max,” Gray said, drawing both Tenno’s attention. “I don’t know these Hounds, but they sound very important to you. I’d never even left my corner of the sealab before Tinleah took me away. I’m just one Grineer. If I die for something worthwhile... Well, it’s a better death than Regor would’ve given me. I’ve already seen more wonders than I could’ve hoped.”

Max opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off when Solise’s voice cut through the orbiter. “Sorry to interrupt, dears, but I found Hush. Tinleah, I already have Pulsar waiting for you in the Mantis. She has the location and a full load of ammunition.”

“Thanks, Solise. Well,  _ dears _ , that’s my cue. I’ll have Hush back in time for lunch.”

“Ugh, not the nutrient paste again.” Max stuck out her tongue in mock disgust.

“Don’t knock it. ‘S pretty good compared to what we got in the sealab barracks.”

“Hey,  _ roore _ , you’re talking to Grineer spec ops. I know all about the barracks’ food. At least you can actually chew it.”

“And chew and chew and chew for a half hour before you can actually swallow the  _ ramn _ stuff.”

Tin laughed as she left the medbay. She had been worried at first, but it seemed like those two would get along just fine.

For now, she needed to focus on Hush. She was the most important thing in the System to Maxis; Tinleah was not going to allow that Ivara to be torn apart for another  _ greteskun  _ Zanuka proxy. No. Come Hell or Tau itself, she was going to bring Hush back in one piece. And God save anyone who stood in her way.


	5. Cut It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maxis wakes up. Hush is gone, still.

The absence of Hush at her side is terrifying. Hush, who had been her first frame upon awakening cryosleep. Hush, who had guarded her life tooth and nail the entire time they were together. Hush, who carried her gently out of the Reservoir back to the Orbiter. Hush, who was so relieved to have her back after the War Within. 

Hush, who is gone.

Trouvaille senses her distress. He persists at nudging her hand tenderly until she acknowledges him, absently rubbing his head. Gray sits uneasily, fidgeting at the palpable emotion in the air. 

Tinleah vies for her attention. “Listen. I’m going as soon as possible after Hush. I know where she is, I know the facility she’s in.”

Solise butts in. “I have the layout of the facility in my databases. Tinleah has been studying it religiously the past few days. You’re already adept at breaking and entering, this should be no different.”

Maxis stays silent, picking at a thread in the gown.

“Hush probably is kicking their asses as we speak, Maxis,” Tinleah soothes. “She wouldn’t think you’d give up on her like that. She knows you’re hurt, that you can’t retaliate right away. She knows we’re coming for her.” Tin rubs her free hand gently, something that usually settled both of them down.

Max, however, doesn’t. “What if they’ve already started in on her?” she frets. “What if they’re opening her up right now? Looking at her as some freak experiment instead of a living thing?” Her hands tremble.

Trouvaille whines, jumping up to lay between Max’s legs with his head on her stomach. Tinleah clasps her hand around the other Operator’s. “As morbid as it sounds, I think you’d know if they had. You two are linked pretty intricately. Have you…?”

“Felt anyone poking at my insides?” Max finishes. “No. Not that I could feel much of anything until now anyway.” She pauses, heaving a shuddering breath. “It’s just…”

“Hm?”

_“I want her back._ Plain and simple. Hush being gone felt like an entire chunk of her being is missing. 

“We’re getting her back,” Tinleah answers definitively. She leaves no room for argument in her tone. “We’ll get you back to battle-readiness, at least enough to hold a perimeter, and then we’re going for her, come hell or high water.”

Max looks unsure. “What if--”

“Shut your damn nay-saying mouth. We’re getting her back.”

Gray nods firmly. “Trust her on this, friend. She is one determined little soldier.”

Tinleah puffs out her chest and holds her head high at the praise. “He’s right.”

Max scoffs, then winces. “I know he’s right.”

“Then believe him.”

⁂

Tinleah is absent, readying herself for the infiltration of the Corpus facility to reacquire Hush, _intact._ Gray keeps Max quiet company, surprisingly soft-spoken for a Grineer heavy unit.

“Gray, make sure she tries to stand and walk once in a while,” Tin had commanded. “She’s at the point where movement won’t undo any healing done.”

“Isn’t it...rather soon?” Gray had said warily.

“Helminth, remember?” Tinleah had flicked the side of her head with a grin.

Sitting in silence was nice, but Max itched to speak or move or listen. 

“So, tell me, as I can feel how fidgety you’re getting from all the way over here,” Gray starts. “What’s this beast you’ve got with you? Tinleah forewarned me of him, but I know nothing about him.”

Oh, Gray didn’t expect the surge of energy that coursed through her at the chance to brag about Trouvaille. “That’s my good boy, Trouvaille.” Trouvaille’s ears fly up at the mention of his name, raising his head off her stomach with his tail wagging already.

“What strain--er, breed?”

“Sahasa.”

“Forgive me for being unfamiliar, but...what…?”

“They’re the digging strain. Trained to find things.”

“Ah, I see! Quite the useful companion in combat, no?”

“Oh, definitely.” Max scuffles Trou’s ears. “Smartest boy you ever did meet.”

Gray hums. “The bar is not too high, for me, at least. Drahks are single-minded when in Grineer Masters’ hands.”

Max giggles. 

“What about these Hounds you speak of?”

“The Hounds? Special operations unit I got assigned, or adopted, into.” She smirks.

“Forgive me, but--adopted?”

“The leader has a surprisingly soft heart.” Max stares down at the bed. “I have him to thank for everything. I would have died alone in a Derelict without his intervention.”

“Tell me about them. I would love to hear of my brothers having some semblance of humanity left within them.”

Max rolls her eyes with a lopsided grin. “There’s Zus, the one behind it all. Typical commander, minus the stupid helmet. He claimed it ‘threw him off-balance’, so he ditched it.” Both her and Gray chuckle. “There’s Dodge, our medic. Stern guy, but caring. There’s Buffy, who’s...our version of you, minus a few missiles. Troublemaker to no end. Then there’s--” she cuts off, eyes widening in shock and fear and pain as she clutches her side.

“Maxis?” Gray prompts. “Speak to me. What’s wrong? Is your wound aggravated?”

“They’re--” she grits her teeth on a whimper as the pain slices further along. Trouvaille jackknifes up off the bed, hovering over her worriedly. 

“Tinleah, something’s wrong,” Gray mutters over a comm link hurriedly. “She’s in pain, but not in the afflicted area.”

“Th--” she tries again, but is cut off by another wave of slashing agony. “They’re cutting into her.”

Gray falters. “I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a scalpel, Maxis. I know that pain. Tinleah is going as fast as she can.” He rubs his hands together absently as he thinks. “Solise?”

“Yes?” the motherly voice responds.

“Do you have any sort of...anesthetic, to give her?”

“Of course.”

Solise’s Trinity rushes in, easing Maxis back to laying down on the bed. Gray steps back respectfully, though Trouvaille shows no such manners, clambering up onto the bed with his master.

“This anesthetic will work for a few hours, enough to dull the pain,” Solise explains. “If it lasts longer, I’ll consider administering more. I doubt it’ll last long enough to warrant a second dose.” She inserts the needle gingerly into a vein, smirking inwardly at how Max makes a point to look away. Even elite soldiers can be squeamish, it would seem.

“What is it?” Tinleah finally cuts in. “Is she okay? What happened?”

“It appears the Corpus have begun their...dissection,” Solise says uneasily. “The strength of Max and Hush’s Transference link is causing her to feel the incisions, unfortunately.”

Tinleah goes deafeningly silent. “Those bastards will pay,” she seethes, “for what they’ve done. For what they’re doing.”


End file.
